Police have arrested a man suspected of involvement in the murder of journalist Lutfuzzaman Alif Fakir in Durgapur upazila of Netrokona.
The man named Apurba was arrested from the Old Cinema Hall area of Durgapur municipality in the early hours of Sunday, following a police operation.
Durgapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Khandaker Shaker Ahmed confirmed the arrest, saying preliminary interrogation had revealed important information about those suspected of masterminding the killing.
According to police, Apurba maintained a suspicious lifestyle, staying out of public view during the day and going out after midnight. Police had been lying in wait before arresting him in the Old Cinema Hall area on Saturday night.
The OC described Apurba as a key operative in the suspected network and said he had kept the weapons belonging to Tajul, the prime suspect in the shooting.
Apurba is also accused of involvement in an earlier attempt to kill Alif, during which a police officer was mistakenly shot dead because of a resemblance to the journalist, the OC said.
Alif, 40, a journalist and former army member known for speaking out against corruption and drug trafficking in the border upazilas of Durgapur and Kalmakanda, was shot dead on Thursday night.
At around 8:15pm on 15 October, he went to a shop in the Telanjia area of Durgapur municipality to retrieve his mobile phone, which he had left behind.
The assailants fired six shots at him, leaving him critically wounded.
Locals rushed to take him to the upazila health complex, but he died on the way.
Alif worked as the Netrokona district correspondent for the private IP television channel Ruposhi Bangla. He also ran a Facebook page called “Detective Article”, where he regularly published reports and videos on drug trafficking, smuggling and corruption in the area.
His ancestral home was in Shunui village under Pogla Union of Kalmakanda upazila. He had been living with his in-laws in the Birishiri area of Durgapur.
His wife, Anindita Sangma, filed a murder case with Durgapur Police Station on Friday night, accusing eight unidentified people.
The OC said Apurba had provided important information during preliminary questioning about Tajul and others allegedly involved in the killing.
Police will produce him before a court and seek to record a confessional statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the officer said.
If Apurba refuses to make the statement, police will seek remand for further interrogation to identify those who allegedly masterminded the murder and bring them to justice.
